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To Kill a Mockingbird and Valley of the Dolls have more in common than you think. In his new book Hit Lit, mystery writer James Hall argues that best-sellers from the past century share 12 features.

Edward Carey wraps up his Iremonger trilogy with a bang, as the mysterious family of the title marches on its alternative version of London; it's that rare third book that sticks the landing.

In the mid-1800s, Britain was a global superpower with a big weakness for tea, all of which came from China. But a botanist with a talent for espionage helped Britain swipe the secrets of tea.

In The Great Tamasha journalist James Astill notes the parallels between India's control of the cricketing world and its dramatic economic rise. NPR's Krishnadev Calamur says Astill provides a glimpse into how India functions.

CNN's national security analyst Peter Bergen just returned from Pakistan, where he visited the town where Osama bin Laden was killed. He talks about the various conspiracy theories surrounding bin Laden's death — and how al-Qaida has changed in recent years.

Livia Llewellyn's new story collection is beautiful and hideous in the same breath, steeped in the traditions of H.P. Lovecraft. Critic Jason Heller calls it "bursting with blood and shadow and dust."

Encyclopedias, dictionaries and directories take on a life of their own in Jack Lynch's new book — a history of reference systems that becomes an examination of the nature of lexicography itself.

Tom Reiss places Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a general in Revolutionary France and the father of the Count of Monte Cristo author, atop a high pedestal. With clear admiration, Reiss explains that the triumphs and travails of the elder Dumas inspired his son's adventure novels.

As a teenager, author T.C. Boyle's love of all things subversive led him to Franz Kafka. He found the stories "triumphantly perverse," and he's been hooked ever since. Do you have a favorite book with dark themes? Tell us in the comments.

Authorities said the 40-year-old man's body was found inside a trailer close to a recycling center Friday evening. Nearby trailers had previously been cleared twice by police.